Category: Commentary, Critique, and Response

photos_and_videos/TimelinePhotos_kg5QueHwVw/111776640_335979404466886_1549036381558669817_n_335979401133553.jpg photos_and_videos/TimelinePhotos_kg5QueHwVw/116058077_335979601133533_7593408389273920319_o_335979597800200.jpg photos_and_videos/TimelinePhotos_kg5QueHwVw/115928356_335983414466485_3212347451674818576_n_335983411133152.jpg ERAS IN PAINTING: COLOR, BRUSH, LINE, CONTENT.

Donald Demers is a traditional New England coastal artist. While you’ll need to compensate for the yellowing of the varnish, you’ll still notice the distinction between Demers’ post 80’s use of purple, post-Kodachrome use of blue, the pre-photography continental use of green, and the old master’s use of sepia.

He chooses classical subjects of traditional beauty that appeal to the ascendent wealth class of lifetime achievers in the east coast aesthetic.

He maintains a brush that is ‘impressionistic enough’ without overly-painterly impressionism, falling back into dutch narrow emphasis on the eyes or falling into tedious american photorealism – which becomes tiresome at other than monumental scale.

I’m not a fan of the landscape – I prefer the human subject. When I was in art school we were taught art theory, and to load our work with editorial meaning. And landscapes were called ‘bank paintings’ and were considered ‘how artists make money if you sell-out’ and ‘go commercial. Which was part of the 70’s art aesthetic to favor experimental and theoretic over aesthetic, romantic, and decorative.

But that was a moment in time. That moment will pass like all others. And the great whirlpool of Sylla and Charybdis sucking all artists into the movie business is nearing its end. Given that all art is an extension of architecture, our present emphasis of building general-purpose buildings for temporary rather than long term special purpose use, will end with bringing people to capital rather than capital to people. And our emphasis on newness rather than quality and durability will end also.

There are still masters of painting in this world, and Demers is certainly one of them, and his lighting, color, composition, are second to none.

I bring him up for no other reason than to illustrate the ‘color’ of our world, and the change in color sense as technology affects our senses.

Images:

1. Blue sails, recreational sails, crisp lines = Current by Demers

2. Green brown sails, soft lines = Surviving the Heroism of Seafaring

3. Sepia seascape, fuzzy dreamy lies = the rebirth of civic life and ascent of weath and trade.

I’m not promoting this work in any way but

Demers work is easily googled, or can be seen at.

http://www.donalddemers.com/